‘We’re all clicking’: Mizzou Tigers confident ahead of NCAA softball regional at home

Speaking with reporters prior to her team’s first game in February, Missouri softball coach Larissa Anderson’s goal was clear.

“We want to host again,” she said of the NCAA Tournament.

But halfway through the season, they had to revisit some of their goals. The Tigers began Southeastern Conference play 0-5 and lost four of their first five SEC series. Suddenly the focus was more about making the tournament and finishing above .500.

A road sweep of No. 9 Kentucky turned into a stretch of eight consecutive wins and Missouri carried that momentum into the SEC Tournament, where it reached the championship game. On Sunday, the Tigers fulfilled their preseason expectations after hearing their name called as the No. 15 seed and host of the Columbia Regional.

“I don’t think anybody had a dry palm there,” center fielder Brooke Wilmes said. “We were all just so nervous. It was fantastic to see our name go up there.”

Missouri (36-20) will host Missouri State at 1 p.m. Friday at Taylor Stadium to kick off the weekend. Arizona and Illinois will play following the first game. While MU will eventually face either Arizona or Illinois on Saturday in the double-elimination tournament, its attention is solely on Friday.

“We want to win tomorrow,” Anderson said. “You want to play one game a day. You win tomorrow, you’re in a much better situation Saturday and Sunday. Everything is focused about Missouri State right now. It’s almost like everyone’s available. Everyone’s available everyday because you might not have tomorrow.”

Missouri State (27-18) won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to secure its NCAA bid on Saturday. The Tigers swept the Illinois in a road doubleheader earlier this year, winning 7-6 in extra innings and 10-2 in five innings. Arizona, one of the nation’s most historic programs, with eight national titles, went 0-2 against SEC teams this year.

All three phases of Missouri’s game are rolling right now, but the pitching staff might be the hottest, much like it was at the end of last year. In the 2021 Columbia Regional, they fired 20 straight scoreless innings and did not allow a run. In the SEC Tournament last week, they quieted some of the nation’s top bats, recording 21 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing four runs in the title game to Arkansas.

“I loved watching them throw,” catcher Hatti Moore said. “That was probably the most fun that I’ve had watching them throw. They went on the field and they just had fun. There was no doubt in their minds.”

Last season, the Tigers were one win away from their first Women’s College World Series appearance since 2011. MU fell to James Madison at home in a Super Regional, but seniors Wilmes, Moore and Kim Wert all opted to use their extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19 and return for one final run.

“We do have unfinished business, but right now we’re just having fun, Moore said. “That’s the big thing that’s happening right now. We’re all clicking. We’re having all three parts of the game — our pitching, our hitting, our defense — all coming together.”

Columbia Regional schedule

Double elimination

Friday’s games

Missouri vs. Missouri State, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)

Illinois vs. Arizona, about 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday’s games

Missouri-Missouri State winner vs. Illinois-Arizona winner, 1:30 p.m. (TBD)

Missouri-Missouri State loser vs. Illinois-Arizona loser, about 4 p.m. (TBD)

Loser of Saturday’s first game vs. winner of second game, about 6:30 p.m. (TBD)

Sunday’s games

Winner of Saturday’s first game vs. winner of Saturday’s last game, 3 p.m. (TBD)

Second elimination game, if needed, about 5:30 p.m. (TBD)